Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
analysis.Inordertomaintainterminologicalprecision,thetermHlaw”isnot
used;Hact”orHconstitution”areusedinstead.55
Irrespectiveoftheirbindingpower,LaterRomanimperialconstitutions
mostoftenassumedtheshapeofletters,whiletheirlanguageborethemark
ofincreasingdifferencesbetweenthewesternandtheeasternpartofthe
Empire.56Inviewofthediversityofforminwhichtheyweredrafted,the
authoroptedforgeneralreferencetotheyearoftheenactment,thoughat
timesthedoubtsastotheirdatingaretakenintoaccount.57
Constitutionswerefrequentlyissuedfollowingasuggestiofromtheoffi-
cialtowhomitwaslateraddressed,thereforeconstitutionsaddresseddi-
rectlytodioceseadministratorsareoftheforemostimportance.58However,
thisdoesnotmeanthatthepreservedaddresseealwayshadtobetheparty
whoinitiatedissuingaconstitution,whichbecameapplicablelawupon
publication.59Also,onecannotfullyrelyontheinformationconcerningthe
dateandthelocationofissuance,receipt,orpromulgationofagivenimperi-
alact.60Furthermore,theproposalofanewregulationmighthaveoriginat-
___
____
___
__
55Inthecourseofanalysesauthoravailedhimselfofthecompilations:Mayr(1965);
Gradenwitz(1996)anddatabases:BIA;FIURIS;TheRomanLawLibrarybyY.Lassardand
A.Koptevhttp://webu2.upmf-grenoble.fr/Haiti/Cours/Ak/.SincethePrincipate,constitu-
tionespossessedtheforceofleges.SeeG.1,5.HConstitutioprincipisestquodimperatordecreto
veledictovelepistulaconstituit;necumquamdubitatumest,quinidlegisvicemoptineat,cum
ipseimperatorperlegemimperiumaccipiat”.InLateAntiquity,theLatintermlexwasidenti-
calwiththenotionofconstitutioprincipis.Seee.g.Kussmaul(1981):75-77.
56OnthetypesandformsofimperialconstitutionsseeVolterra(1971),whoalsopointed
tothecontinuityofformsincomparisontosourcesoflawofLateRepublicandthePrincipate
(esp.845-869):885-951-ontheepistolaryformofconstitution,1001-1011-onconstitutions
whichwerefragmentsofverdictsreturnedincourtproceedingsbeforetheemperor;Classen
(1977):16-41-ontypesofconstitutions,60-91-ontheirepistolaryform,styleandtheorgani-
zationofimperialchancery;Millar(1977):esp.228-240,252-259,313-341-chieflyonthede-
crees,edicts,mandatesandrescripts;vanderWal(1980);Kussmaul(1981);vanderWal(1981):
esp.277-304;Voci(1985a):onchangesinbindingforceofimperialconstitutions;Liebs(1992);
vanderWal(1999):141-146.Ondifferencesinthechanceryidiom,seeVidén(1984)andgen-
erallyMillar(2006):1-38.Cf.alsogenerallyWipszycka(1999).
57Seeesp.Seeck(1919);Schmidt-Hofner(2008a)-fortheyears364-375;Lounghis,
Blysidu,Lampakes(2005).
58SeeGaudemet(1971b):228.After438therewasanincreaseinimperialconstitutionsis-
suedfollowingsuggestionesofhigherimperialofficials.SeeMillar(2006):207-214.
59Theinformationpreservedinsubscriptioincludesmostoftendetailsoftheissuer,thelo-
cationofissue,promulgationordeliveryoftheact,itsreading,enteringintoregister,the
addresseeetc.SeeMommsen(1905a):CLIII-CLIX.Onbothpredominantpartsofsurviving
fragmentsofconstitutionsandevolutionoftheirformsseealsoVolterra(1971):925-959;
CañizarPalacios(2005):133-140-forC.Th.
60ForinformationregardingtitlesanddatesinC.Th.,seeMommsen(1905a):CLIII-CCCVI;
Seeck(1919)aswellasKrüger(1921);Higgins(1935):onthemarginofdisputesurrounding
31